[slip]

I can't help but notice how the testers are not giving the new model that much notice... I remember before the K5 came out there had tests before the official release... only a hand full and the II/s has been out for a while

any opinions on this?
after being on the market for 2+ years do you think the updated version will make it?

any opinion welcomed

thanks

randy

[Adam]

Well it has to make it- once the K-5 stock runs out, the K-5 II will be the new K-5, and its price will start resembling that of its predecessor.

In any case, Pentax has a lot of catching up to do with their APS-C flagship, no matter how you look at it!

[JohnBee]

I can't help but notice how the testers are not giving the new model that much notice... I remember before the K5 came out there had tests before the official release... only a hand full and the II/s has been out for a while

any opinions on this?
after being on the market for 2+ years do you think the updated version will make it?

any opinion welcomed

I think this is likely due in part to the types of upgrades brought-on with the revision. For example, the K-5 getting a new LCD, AF and AA filter removal isn't likely groundbreaking against the weight of new emerging technology.

That being said, I'd say the majority of the tests and reviews that have covered the K-5 II/s to date are pretty much what we'd expect under the circumstances. Whereas we'll likely be seeing the real attention when the new units are announced in spring. To which I'd add, I think Pentax did the right thing this round instead of releasing mediocre products along with the remainder of the competition(see: 24mp aps-c's). Though I'm just hoping it all works-out in time for the next show. Otherwise, we may very well see another round of slim pickings(if anything) in exchange for Pentax /Ricoh's real debut next fall. At which point we'll likely see a completely line-up revision along with the introduction of some FF implementations. Though something tells me that Pentax may not be very eager to invest in a FF DSLR product line based on its relatively short future. And so there always the possibility that they will announce a FF mirrorless line instead of a DSLR as many would hope.

Anyways, all of this is nothing but pure conjecture at this stage, but... those are my projections nonetheless.

[cali92rs]

I can't help but notice how the testers are not giving the new model that much notice... I remember before the K5 came out there had tests before the official release... only a hand full and the II/s has been out for a while

any opinions on this?
after being on the market for 2+ years do you think the updated version will make it?

any opinion welcomed

thanks

randy

This topic has been hammered over and over...

However, this is my 2 cents (if it's even worth that much is debateable). It depends on your definition of "flop."I dont think it will sell well amongst current K-5 owners. It may sell well amongsts owners of older Pentax DSLRs.
But I don't think people will look at this camera and make them want to switch from the big boys to Pentax. And the problem is that Pentax has such a small market share that if we don't capture users from other systems, the sales will continue be small.
Pentax needs a game changer to make a splash...otherwise it will still have low-single digit marketshare.

[cali92rs]

And don't get me wrong, i think the K-5II/s are excellent cameras, much like the K-5 was/is. But excellent cameras don't translate into greater sales, especially when there are plenty of other great options out there. There will always be trickels of people coming and going, but it takes something "game-changing" for large amounts of consumers to change mounts.

[bdery]

Pentax needs a game changer to make a splash...otherwise it will still have low-single digit marketshare.

Well, they did have stellar products, best in class, with the K20D and K-5, and you might want to include the K30 to that list.

For the record, single digit marketshare isn't bad per se, what is important is to keep making a profit, and not to LOOSE market shares.

[Rondec]

I don't think it will be a flop. It may not sell great until the K5 classic stock dries up, but its release price really is pretty decent and the improved low light focusing is a big reason to get the IIs over the K5 classic. There are a lot of folks who have K20s or K7s and they are the market for this camera. Folks who already have a K5, are probably waiting for whatever Pentax comes up with as an upper end APS-C camera (K3 in the spring?).

[Tanzer]

If DPReview does a review soon, that would probably help. They always had good things to say about the K-5, and they gave the K-30 a pretty good review too. So a K-5 II/s review would probably come out quite positive relative to the chaff out there.

[rawr]

The cameras have only hit the market for a month, and in some markets only went on sale last week, and people here are already talking about a flop.

Talk about a culture of failure in these forums...

If the K-5II/s sells, and Pentax makes a profit on them, it won't be a flop. With giants like Panasonic and Sony losing billions of $ at the moment, it's not a great time to be a camera maker. If Ricoh/Pentax are able to turn a buck on the K-5 II, keep or attract customers with it, keep factories working, and keep sales channels open, it won't be a flop.

It's also not as if the base camera isn't an excellent performer. Even after two years, the K-5 remains the best APS-C camera in terms of sensor IQ, according to the dxomark numbers. The new K-5's will inherit that mantle, I expect.

[Sol Invictus]

It's too early to tell but my guess is that it will maintain the holding pattern until whatever Pentax has in the pipeline is released. I doubt it will win over any customers from the big players though the excellent reviews should draw in some new blood.

[slip]

The cameras have only hit the market for a month, and in some markets only went on sale last week, and people here are already talking about a flop.

Talk about a culture of failure in these forums...

If the K-5II/s sells, and Pentax makes a profit on them, it won't be a flop. With giants like Panasonic and Sony losing billions of $ at the moment, it's not a great time to be a camera maker. If Ricoh/Pentax are able to turn a buck on the K-5 II, keep or attract customers with it, keep factories working, and keep sales channels open, it won't be a flop.

It's also not as if the base camera isn't an excellent performer. Even after two years, the K-5 remains the best APS-C camera in terms of sensor IQ, according to the dxomark numbers. The new K-5's will inherit that mantle, I expect.

I guess a better question could be: will people buy what is a 3 year product when the other manufactures are coming out with cameras that are a class above? They maybe best in it's class, but the APS-C use is on the decrease... they might be the only one standing at some point.
Pentax might have come a long way with the autofocus, but being still behind in that isn't going to convince to many people to convert from their present equipment.
just a thought...

[Sol Invictus]

And K5 II has the misfortune of being released alongside some pretty flashy (and great) products from Pentax's competitors. Hopefully that won't hurt sales to badly.

[slip]

The cameras have only hit the market for a month, and in some markets only went on sale last week, and people here are already talking about a flop.
Talk about a culture of failure in these forums

I view it as healthy conversations about our passions... I call it constructive criticism

thanks

randy

[jatrax]

I can't help but notice how the testers are not giving the new model that much notice..

I think for a lot of testers this is just a refresh not a new camera. So why waste time re-reviewing it when you can play with a D600 or something? I suspect when the reviews do come out they will just rehash the k-5 review and mention the changes rather than do a complete new review. And let's face it, reviews are designed to pull traffic to a web site. Which is going to generate more traffic, a review of the D600 or a refreshed k-5?

But I don't think the k-5II will a flop, because it is not (IMHO) expected to be anything but a placeholder. All it has to do is sell at or near the same rate the k-5 is currently selling at.

[HSV]

I think that testers are only catering to the "general public"...and right now, the rage is MILC and FF.

I noticed that the K-01 got reviews quickly, because it offered something very unique...native K mount in a mirrorless, and weird shape. Although the K5II/s is new and good, it hardly offers something unique to the Pentax line, therefore not attracting the attention of "compulsive obsessive upgraders", which might be a very large population of whoever the testing sites are catering for.